“False doctrine and heresy are even worse than schism. If people separate themselves from teaching which is positively false and unscriptural, they ought to be praised rather than reproved. In such cases separation is a virtue and not a sin… there is one thing which is even worse than controversy, and that is false doctrine, allowed, and permitted without protest or molestation.”

“When we discover that our idols have feet of clay our distaste for them is usually in direct proportion to our earlier devotion to them; it tends to be as wholehearted as was the pursuit and the short-lived pleasure.”

A man who claims to be righteous in Christ yet makes no effort to pursue a life of righteousness is, at best, self-deceived. Likewise, a woman who claims to love all Christians everywhere but does not love her Christian sister is likewise self-deceived. Both are hypocrites. They are nominal Christians––Christians in name only––because their profession does not translate into action or reality. They claim a positional status before the throne of God, but nothing in their lives commends the reality of that status, as if God were a fool who could be mocked (Gal. 6:7). Their faith is without works, which, James tells us, is a dead faith. It’s meaningless. It’s hot air, even if they think that they really, really mean it. The kingdom of Christ is about reality––a new reality, not the illusory old one.

So too with one who claims to belong to the church without belonging to a church. I fear that he looks very much like a nominal Christian and a hypocrite.

In our pragmatic, materialistic society, where each of us seeks comfort and “fulfillment” and respect, it is hard to follow a despised, crucified Messiah— unless we fix our eyes on the end. If we do not aim for the new heaven and the new earth, many of our values and decisions in this world will be myopic, unworthy, tarnished, fundamentally wrongheaded. To put the matter bluntly: Can biblical spirituality long survive where Christians are not oriented to the world to come?

There are many books out there talking about the importance of Christians living “in community,” but what does that actually look like? Thabiti Anyabwile unpacks the vital office of church member with biblical insight and practical advice.

In the introduction, Thabiti starts with the question he is trying to answer; “What exactly am I supposed to be doing as a member of this local church?” Thabiti’s goal in writing the book is, “that you might discover or rediscover what it means to be a healthy member of a local church, and what it means to contribute to the overall health of the church.” This goal may sound foreign to Christians that are focused on what the church can do for them. Instead, Thabiti exhorts the church member to consider what the Bible commands them to do for one another. Thabiti divides the book into ten marks of a healthy church member. I’ve listed them below with helpful advice from each chapter.

1. A healthy church member is an expositional listener

Meditate on the sermon passage during your quiet time

Talk and pray with friends about the sermon after church

2. A healthy church member is a biblical theologian

Know and agree to support your church’s statement of faith

Seek doctrinal unity and avoid needless disputes

3. A healthy church member is gospel saturated

Know the gospel (Sadly this is often overlooked)

Share the gospel

Guard the gospel (The responsibility to guard the gospel does not ultimately fall on pastors alone, but on the congregation)

4. A healthy church member is genuinely converted

Some helpful questions to ask:

Do we walk in the light or the darkness?

Do we love God the Father?

Do we love other Christians?

Do we have the testimony of the Spirit that we are children of God?

Are we persevering in the Faith?

5. A healthy church member is a biblical evangelist (Much of this chapter is taken from Mark Dever and Michael P. Andrus)

Tell people with honesty that if they repent and believe they will be saved–but it will be costly

Remember to pray

Realize that the local church as a whole is a central part of evangelism… it should give credibility to the gospel we proclaim

6. A healthy church member is a committed member

Regularly attend gatherings

Seek peace

Edify others

Pursue reconciliation

Bear with others

7. A healthy church member seeks discipline

Humbly accept correction from others

Take seriously your responsibility to discipline others in love

8. A healthy church member is a growing disciple

9. A healthy church member is a humble follower

Obey and submit to leaders

Follow the leaders’ example

Pray for leaders

10. A healthy church member is a prayer warrior

Pray for laborers and shepherds

Pray for all the saints (Pray through your membership directory!)

Pray for those in authority

What is a Healthy Church Member? does not offer anything new or profound. What you will find are basic responsibilities for those who are members of local churches. It seems Thabiti is responding to years of books on an individualistic approach to the Christian life. So many Christians are concerned with theirown growth, their ownholiness, their own evangelism. Thabiti book offers a helpful turn from individual to family.

By God’s grace, I have seen a lot of what Thabiti talked about in my own church. I commend this short book to you for the benefit of your Christian life and the life of your church. Maybe even consider getting two copies to read one with a fellow church member.

“Cling to the truth, pure and simple – to the truth, and not to mere feelings, impressions, sentiments; to the truth, and not to tampering with falsehood; to the truth: it is heaven-born; to the truth: it is from God, and he knows best what we should believe and what do… to the truth: it is sure to bring the rich blessings of its Author.”

I’m a Christian. I live in the Middle East with my wife Hanna, where we are members of Covenant Hope Church. I hold a BBA from University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a MDiv and ThM from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

This blog is primarily a place to share what I am reading. But, it’s also a place for me to write some. You can reach me via email at aberahamichael [at] gmail [dot] com, on Twitter at @abrahaMichael, on Instagram at @abrahaMichael, and on Facebook.